The Stones of Venice, Volume 1, subtitled ‘The Foundations,’ opens John Ruskin’s monumental study of the architecture of Venice. In this first volume he lays out the principles of construction and ornament, analyzing walls, arches, roofs, and decoration, and establishing the architectural grammar through which he will read the city’s buildings as moral and historical records.
Demanding yet rewarding, the volume prepares the ground for the celebrated later sections on Venetian Gothic. It stands among the most ambitious works of Victorian art criticism. This free EPUB download is cleanly formatted for any e-reader.